Post by radovic on Dec 7, 2007 12:31:05 GMT -5
Western idiocy: Croat charged with fighting for Serbian side in Croatia. This is very idiotic, I can't believe that they're actually considering this case.
Croatian handyman tells hearing he didn't take sides in civil war
Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Salt Spring Island handyman, Josip Budimcic recounted Wednesday how he quit his job as a traffic policemen in Croatia and fled to Belgrade with his family after his police chief was assassinated for trying to bring peace between Croats and Serbs.
Budimcic, an ethnic Croat married to a Serbian, has been tried in absentia for war crimes allegedly committed in eastern Croatia during the 1991 civil war when he is said to have served with Serbian forces during the fighting in the Osijek region.
He was a police officer living in Osijek before he fled to the Yugoslav capital Belgrade to live with his wife's family.
Budimcic and his family came to Canada in 1995 after being granted refugee protection claiming they were in danger because of their mixed marriage.
However, the Public Safety Ministry aware of his conviction for war crimes is now seeking to have that protection removed making it possible to deport Budimcic who has been living on Salt Spring Island for three years.
A Immigration and Refugee Board in Vancouver is hearing the ministry's application.
Budimcic claims that he didn't want to take sides as events in Croatia slid towards civil war leading to threats from fellow police officers against his life.
His wife also worked in the same police station and she would come home crying because of threats being made against Serbs in the department.
He said they talk was that Serbs at the police station would be killed.
At the beginning of July 1991 police chief Josip Reichl-Kir, who was unarmed, and a number of other officers were killed on the road between Osijek and Bijelo Brdo while trying to calm the fears of Serbians living in the area.
"He was a person the police trusted from our hearts. He was a Croatian and he was trying to negotiate between the Serbs and Croats. He was telling the Serbs the police will protect you. We knew who killed him. It was another Croat police officer with an automatic rifle," said Budimcic.
Asked by his counsel Dennis McCrea how the assassination affected him, Budimcic said it was "very important. When a Croat kills a Croat..."
"He was killed because they didn't want to negotiate with the Serbs. He was not on Serb side he wasn't on the Croat side he was just trying to make peace," he said.
Budimcic said he want into work on July 11 and resigned. He turned in his uniform, weapon and badge. He took his wife and picked up his one-year-old son and drove to Belgrade.
Croatian handyman tells hearing he didn't take sides in civil war
Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Salt Spring Island handyman, Josip Budimcic recounted Wednesday how he quit his job as a traffic policemen in Croatia and fled to Belgrade with his family after his police chief was assassinated for trying to bring peace between Croats and Serbs.
Budimcic, an ethnic Croat married to a Serbian, has been tried in absentia for war crimes allegedly committed in eastern Croatia during the 1991 civil war when he is said to have served with Serbian forces during the fighting in the Osijek region.
He was a police officer living in Osijek before he fled to the Yugoslav capital Belgrade to live with his wife's family.
Budimcic and his family came to Canada in 1995 after being granted refugee protection claiming they were in danger because of their mixed marriage.
However, the Public Safety Ministry aware of his conviction for war crimes is now seeking to have that protection removed making it possible to deport Budimcic who has been living on Salt Spring Island for three years.
A Immigration and Refugee Board in Vancouver is hearing the ministry's application.
Budimcic claims that he didn't want to take sides as events in Croatia slid towards civil war leading to threats from fellow police officers against his life.
His wife also worked in the same police station and she would come home crying because of threats being made against Serbs in the department.
He said they talk was that Serbs at the police station would be killed.
At the beginning of July 1991 police chief Josip Reichl-Kir, who was unarmed, and a number of other officers were killed on the road between Osijek and Bijelo Brdo while trying to calm the fears of Serbians living in the area.
"He was a person the police trusted from our hearts. He was a Croatian and he was trying to negotiate between the Serbs and Croats. He was telling the Serbs the police will protect you. We knew who killed him. It was another Croat police officer with an automatic rifle," said Budimcic.
Asked by his counsel Dennis McCrea how the assassination affected him, Budimcic said it was "very important. When a Croat kills a Croat..."
"He was killed because they didn't want to negotiate with the Serbs. He was not on Serb side he wasn't on the Croat side he was just trying to make peace," he said.
Budimcic said he want into work on July 11 and resigned. He turned in his uniform, weapon and badge. He took his wife and picked up his one-year-old son and drove to Belgrade.